High Times Cannabis Cup: A Rookie's Experience, Winners and More

Walking up to the Denver Mart on 4/20 is exhilarating for a High Times Cannabis Cup virgin. You've heard the stories and seen the pictures, and now you're ready to witness the madness (and probably partake in it).

Over 500 marijuana business and thousands of people made the pilgrimage to the private event center in unincorporated Adams County April 18-20, where consuming cannabis was legal for anyone 21-and-older or medical patients over eighteen.

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The sight of police officers safely directing traffic in and out of an event designated for pot-smoking was a sweet piece of irony any cannabis lover would enjoy, and the diversity of the crowd highlighted the human connectivity cannabis creates. Of course, there was an abundance of dreadlocks, Grateful Dead T-shirts and baggy pants. But middle-aged men wearing college football gear, groups of affluent thirty-somethings and women old enough to be your grandma were puffing joints and laughing right beside them.

"I came here with my sons just to see what it was all about," said a red-eyed Henry Berger, a 48-year-old father with two sons in their twenties. "If I can go to Oktoberfest when they're of age, then why can't I enjoy this with them, too?"

The number of booths can be overwhelming at first. Inside, vendors from all over the country showed off their products — some of them claiming to increase grow yields by 20 percent or significantly reduce energy bills. Extraction systems with too many twists and knobs to comprehend and industrial-sized automatic bud trimmers were also lined up, foreshadowing the future of the marijuana industry.

It was hard to walk through and not notice some influential figures. President of Cannabis Global Initiative Wanda James was strolling around with her husband, cannabis chef and restauranteur Scott Durrah. Hash whiz Murphy Murri was at the ExtractionTek Solutions booth showcasing a closed loop hydrocarbon extraction system. Yes, most people showed up to celebrate, but the volume of information available could've filled a few thousand pages, and that's not even counting the educational seminars.

Plants, buds, extracts and more were on display this weekend at the 2015 High Times Cannabis Cup.

Ken Hamblin

Outside was a different story. Vendors showcasing hash, edibles, vaporizers, glassware and much more were busy handing out free swag and enjoying music. Hundreds of dollars were spent every minute on seeds from world-renowned strain breeders. Lines of people stacked up at generous booths for free dabs and bong tokes. The hazy maze was hard to walk through, and bumping into someone smoking a banana-sized joint was inevitable. If you didn't show up ready to embrace the jovial clutter, it may have been too much to handle.

The event faced somewhat of a buzzkill from the Marijuana Enforcement Division, which earlier this month decided no Colorado cannabis businesses could sell or give out samples of their THC-infused products. Those working the event said the MED's decision didn't affect the turnout whatsoever, although the Colorado booths couldn't help but notice their disadvantage to out-of-staters.

"It kind of sucks, because all of the California businesses brought their products and are handing them out, which is what we were all expecting to do," said Mike Schlachtenhaufen, an employee for Denver-based O.penVAPE.

Compared to last year, when attendees were able to take free dabs and enjoy pot-infused hors d'oeuvres at any booth providing them, the excess just wasn't the same. But that doesn't mean the celebration was lacking. Attendees were welcome to bring their own cannabis, and as 4:20 p.m. approached, eyes were darting for the nearest table, magazine or bench — anything one could use to roll up on.

The simplicity of it was beautiful There was no countdown, disco ball drop or moment of silence; just a group of potheads doing what they were supposed to do. Smoking a joint in a public setting as you freely walk around and converse is oddly liberating. Just don't get in a measuring contest, because there's always someone bigger than you.

Although the Cup was open until 9 p.m., you never would've guessed after 4:20 came and went. The mass exodus around 5 p.m. was a sight to behold. Cotton-mouthed zombies with appetites for doughnuts, fried food and Gatorade shuffled out of the Denver Mart, and the food carts lined up outside took full advantage.

An event worth experiencing for anyone interested in marijuana or counter culture, the Cannabis Cup did the best it could with the limitations imposed on it. The Great American Beer Festival of pot? Not quite yet. But future laws permitting, it might get there one day.

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